Zagovny
Zagovny is a form of sanguinary witchcraft practiced wholly by the Vedma. It is a collection of different strange powers that can be mistaken for other disciplines. Thus the Vedma have a reputation for knowing a whole host of other disciplines; a reputation they are loathe to correct. This Discipline is described in detail in Ordo Dracul. Basic Discipline Levels • Eye of Blood Allows the caster to see through the target's eyes until next sunset; she may activate and disable this power as often as she wishes while in effect. •• Witch-Cloak Alters the perceptions of an onlooker to make them think that the Vedma has changes shape in some way. ••• Witch's Gaze Inflicts a curse with a single look, causing fear, bad luck, injury, and/or disease upon the victim. •••• Blood Minions Transmutes the witch's blood into a number of dreadful animals, which will serve the witch as she pleases until vanishing. ••••• Flight of the Warlock Travels a great distance in an instant by displacing one of her Blood Minions, and appearing wherever it once stood. Theory Zagovny has no single theory of origin. Some believe the powers were drawn from the land itself; That the mountains of Dacia bled raw magical power and the Vedma drank them up. The magical powers of the Vedma are then a blend of magic inherent in the lands between the Carpathians to the Danube. Another theory of origin states that Zagovny is some sort of proto-discipline; that it is a grandparent to the more modern forms of other disciplines. This is favored by those who believe the Vedma are actually the clan who spawned the Gangrel. This further idea is supported by the argument that the Vedma are among the eldest of any known bloodline. Yet another story of Zagovny states that the Vedma developed it as a natural reflex to having supped upon a large number of witches, mages, and other magical sources. And so, Zagovny is a blend of magical ingredients and haphazard abilities. Practice The earliest ability allows the witch to mimic the powers of Auspex, and spy upon those who are distant. By applying a curse to the subject, the witch can then see the subject and their surroundings for a day and a night. Following that is the ability to mimic Obfuscate. The witch can now disguise herself as part of her environment or seem to have a confusing shape. She may seem to actually be a tree, when she was merely standing next to another tree. Or she may seem to be made of wood, when she is simply wearing brown clothing. The witch has little control over this power; it is the senses of the onlooker which is being affected. The following ability gives the witch the fabled "Evil Eye". By uttering a curse to the subject, she can curse him to some malady, setback, or injury. The subject will either suffer some dramatic failure using an ability, or no longer be as successful in any abilities for a time. Advanced forms of the discipline allow the witch to create animals from her own blood. Insects, birds, vermin, or whatever other animals the witches pleases, issues forth from her blood. These creatures can spy for her, deliver curses, attack her enemies, or anything else a loyal animal minion may do. They appear as any other flesh and bone creature of the same type, except that they have obviously supernatural traits, such as eerily empty eye sockets and blood-red claws. The final form of Zagovny allows the witch to transport herself to the location of one of her created minions. The minion is destroyed in the process, but it may lead onlookers to mistake this power for the Protean power of shapechanging. ---- References Vampire: The Requiem: Ordo Dracul: pp. 195-198 <<<< BACK